


Two Bros Living in an Apartment Five Feet Apart Cause They're Not Gay

by BipLing



Category: Devilman (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Drunken Kissing, Drunken Shenanigans, M/M, Roommates, akira ''i'm not gay'' fudo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-02-07 08:40:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18617101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BipLing/pseuds/BipLing
Summary: the title is self-explanatory. Akira and Ryo are roommates and Akira is totally NOT gay for him! They're just best friends, okay? Can't a bro appreciate how handsome his roommate is? And maybe kiss.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> explicit just cause they gonna FUCK LATER also yes they're adults and yes i wrote this at 3 am

Akira has been living with his eccentric roommate for a few months now. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of him; sharp features surrounded by untamed blonde hair. His fashion sense is interesting to say the least. He wears a trench coat over everything and smokes like he’s right out of a moody drama. They haven’t spoken much. Akira is often too nervous to put a sentence together when he’s around. The words just slip from his mouth like water. They make no sense, he trips over himself. He turns into a flushed mess just asking him how his day went. 

Ryo stares at him with those sharp blue eyes, almost like he sees through him. They pierce deep. Every time they share the same space, a strange feeling gestates in his gut. He has yet to put a name to it. It’s not like he hates him. He has no reason to. Ryo is a private person, as far as he knows. 

They eat dinner in relative silence on opposite sides of the room. He catches himself stealing glances at him, hoping that he notices and looks back. But, like the coward he is, he pretends to look elsewhere. He’s sure Ryo has noticed by now with how he grins to himself. 

Does he think he’s stupid? He would hate to give him the wrong impression.

One night, they lie in the living room, watching whatever is on TV. Akira isn’t paying attention to it. He keeps Ryo, curled up on the armchair, in his peripheral. A hand curled under his chin, eyes half-focused on the show. His eyes flick to Akira. 

“Do you need something?”

“Uh,” he sputters. “No?”

Ryo leans in his direction. “Then why’re you staring?”

“I couldn’t help but notice your…. shirt, yeah - your shirt.” He points a shaky finger at him. “Where’d you get it?”

Ryo’s expression remains blank. A hint of amusement lights up in his eyes. “I’ve had this shirt since I moved in, Akira. I’ve worn it before. Why are you only asking about it now?”

“I don’t know?”

This gets a smile out of him. Akira’s heart almost stops. Why though? He only knows that he wants to keep it going. 

“So,” he scratches behind his head, “what’ve you been up to?”

“Well, I’m trying to watch TV,” Ryo says. “Unless there’s something more important I should be doing?”

“I mean, maybe.” Akira’s fingers grip at the couch cushion. He wants to… make him shut up? Or do something to make him stop talking. He can’t stop staring at his lips. They way they’re pursed, they look so soft. Why is he thinking about that? They’re just roommates. “I mean-”

Ryo’s phone rings, tucking it out from his coat pocket. He grins at whoever he’s talking to. From the way it sounds, it’s a man. Akira grits his teeth and grows the tiniest bit frustrated.

“Who is that?” He says. 

“Just a guy,” Ryo replies. 

“What kind of guy?” His voice is louder than it should be.

Ryo ends his conversation, hanging up. “What does it matter to you?”

“I’m just asking? I’m your roommate, don’t I deserve to know who you’re hanging out with?”

“A friend,” is all he says. “I’m going out with him in a bit.”

“Like…?”

“You ever hear of dates, Fudo?”

Akira stumbles over the words he vomits out. “I, you mean, like - a date?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“So you like dudes?” He blurts out.

Ryo gives him a once over and it’s like he’s undressing him with his eyes. At least, he hopes he is. “Is that a problem?”

“No, no, it’s cool.” Akira grin is a bit too wide. “That’s cool. The gay thing, I mean. Yeah.”

Ryo stretches out in his chair, his shirt rising to show the slightest bit of stomach. Why are his eyes glued to him? After a few minutes of silence, their door rings. Ryo hops up to answer it. He lets in some burly bastard with cropped hair and fancy sunglasses. The guy smells like expensive cologne. His formal clothes look like they cost more than his rent. The man’s eyes fight Akira’s for space on Ryo. Every time Akira tries to look at him, he can only focus on how much this asshole is absorbing Ryo’s attention.

“Not going to introduce me?”

Ryo glances over his shoulder and shrugs his suggestion off. He hates how the asshole places a hand on his waist. Akira bites his tongue. Why is he so annoyed? He’s not homophobic, far from it. He’s ecstatic for Ryo. Right. Absolutely overjoyed. 

But why did he have to ruin the nice night they were having? Is he not good enough company? He hopes he does something that makes Ryo come running home. Not into his arms, just home. Bad things happen after midnight, right? He wouldn’t want Ryo to get into trouble. It’s his duty as a good roommate.  
#  
Akira may or may not have stayed up until Ryo came home. He flicks through the TV with an irritated glower. He doesn’t bother really watching, too focused on when their door will unlock. At four a.m., Ryo stumbles through into their living room. He smells like alcohol. What kind, Akira wouldn’t know. He hardly drinks. But he wishes he could be drunk with him tonight.

Ryo giggles to himself, cheeks flushed. 

“Where were you?” He probes. 

“With my friend, duh.” Ryo sways, a hand on the wall to keep him steady. His other tugs at his shirt, his coat dropping to his feet. 

“Well- wait, why are you taking your shirt off?” 

“What?”

“Why are you, uh, stripping?”

“Because I’m tired?” He takes his shirt off and Akira swears he might die. 

Ryo sits next to him on the couch and he can’t speak. Every time he thinks he has words, he loses them with every inch of exposed skin he gawks at.

“Hello? Earth to Akira?” Ryo waves a hand in his face. This is the closest they’ve ever been. “You there, big guy?”

Akira wants Ryo to call him other things, other names. Soft things that only a lover has. But, if it’s Ryo, it’s okay, right? It’s totally not weird. It would just be like a nickname. 

Right?

“I’m here,” he says.

“Good! I thought I lost you there for a sec.” Ryo inches closer, curling a lock of hair around his finger. 

Their hands grow close.   
His blood runs cold.   
His head spins.  
What’s happening?

“Have you ever kissed a guy, Akira?”

“No?” But he wants to. 

The light from the TV falls over them, throwing soft shadows across the room. Ryo’s eyes paralyze him. Their fingers interlock. Words spill from his mouth like honey; tantalizing and sweet.   
“Wanna try?”

Everything happens so fast he gets whiplash. He closes his eyes tight, but at the same time he wants to watch Ryo kiss him. It’s gentle and a little bit awkward, but it gets the adrenaline flowing regardless. His heart thrums in his ears. He thinks he might throw up he’s so nervous. 

“You good?” Ryo watches his face.

“What?”

“I said-”

“You kissed me already?” Akira implores.

“I mean, if you didn’t like it,” Ryo goes to shift to the other side,” I’m sorry.” 

Akira grips his wrist to keep him in place. “No. It was okay.” He nods with finality.

Ryo chuckles. “Just ‘okay?’”

“To be honest, I didn’t really feel it, so-” Ryo sneaks in another kiss to the cheek, “hey, that’s not fair!”

“All’s fair in love and war,” he recites with another little laugh. 

“You can’t just kiss me without warning! And who said anything about love!?”

Ryo does it again, closer to his lips this time. His cherubic grin makes playing this whole game worth it.

“Don’t make me… do… something…”

“Like what? Kiss me back?” He teases.

“Maybe! I might!” Akira huffs. 

Ryo holds Akira’s chin in his hand, tilting it a bit to one side. “If you’re going to do it, do it right.” He closes his eyes and waits. “You’ve kissed girls before, right?”

“Yeah, well, this is different.”

“It’s the same. Just pretend I’m one of those girls.”

Akira shuts his eyes and tries to imagine one of those old girlfriends of his. But all that comes up is Ryo. This kiss is harder, rougher, Akira channeling all his frustration into it. His hands wander over Ryo’s sides, grabbing whatever he can get at. He leans over Ryo, laying him back on the cushions as they continue to kiss. The heat between them is palpable.

His mind catches up to him, realizing he’s making out with his roommate. His dear friend, Ryo. Akira comes out of a trance, keeping his hands to himself. 

“I, I’m sorry!”

“For what? It was just getting good-”

“I’m not gay.”

Ryo grins from his place below him, his hair messily falling over his forehead. He too, is flushed, not just from the alcohol, but from their mini make out session. Akira did that. He is oddly proud of this fact.

“Who said you were?”

“I’m not gay,” he repeats. “I don’t want to give you the wrong idea, I’m sorry.”

Ryo’s lips twist into a frown. He rubs at his neck, Akira laying heavy eyes on it. “Okay, sure, you’re not gay. We’re just two friends, right?”

“Yeah.” His heart swells. He thinks of him as a friend? 

“And friends can make out, right?”

“Yeah…?”

“You don’t have to be gay to make out with your friend, you know.”

“You don’t?”

He shakes his head. “Your heterosexuality is safe.”

“Thank god.”

Ryo pats his shoulder, shakily standing to saunter down the hall. Akira leads him to bed. He passes out like a rock. Akira lies awake in his room, replaying the scene over and over in his head. It’s not like he’s weirded out or anything, but… Ryo sure is a good kisser. But he was drunk, so maybe it was wrong? Maybe... Akira should get drunk with him and try it again. Maybe then it wouldn’t feel so wrong? 

Wow, he’s such a genius. Truly one of his better ideas.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> more dumb gay shit you're welcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we back back back we back back B A C K BACK WE BACK

The coming days come at a glacial pace for Akira. He questions every small gesture he makes whenever he’s around Ryo. You know, so he doesn’t come off as Gay. He’s still ridden with guilt over the kiss they had. But it didn’t mean anything. It was just a kiss. Bros can kiss each other, it doesn’t mean they’re Gay or in Love or anything remotely close to that. Then why does Akira want that exact thing to happen?

He watches Ryo from afar, totally not fixating on stupid things like his half-buttoned shirt. The way it rises when he leans up into a cupboard… what does he want someone to do? Kiss him there? It’s almost like he’s asking for it. Ryo watches him as well. He perches on the countertop with a cup of tea and blowing cigarette smoke out the open window. Akira goes to grab a mug for himself, but Ryo’s leg is in the way.

“Can you move?”

Ryo takes a drag off his cig. It’s his fifth one today. “No. If you want something, you can move me yourself.”

He isn’t staring at his lips as he talks again. He was just spacing out, that’s all. A thing that’s become more common over the past few days. Every time he catches himself staring at Ryo, it’s not because of the nameless emotions stirring in his heart, or a realization that he may be in love with his childhood friend and roommate. He just conveniently lost his train of thought thinking about… stuff. Straight stuff.

But to casually touch him? To run his fingers along his thigh and brush his leg to the side? What does he think this is, a game of chess? Whatever he’s up to, Akira certainly won’t lose. He’ll show him that he certainly isn’t gay. He grabs him by the knee, maybe a bit too forcefully, and… moves his leg a few inches. He counts the seconds that pass by as he tries to find his favorite mug. It’s the one Ryo bought him a few weeks ago. The longer his hand lingers leg, the faster his heart pounds, the sweatier he gets. His hand is all clammy and he can barely hold onto the mug when he finds it and - 

He drops it. The ceramic shatters into dozens of pieces. Akira could cry. Not the precious mug his old friend bought for him that he cherishes for totally non-homosexual sentimental reasons! Anything but that!

His shoulders droop and he can’t dare meet Ryo’s probably disappointed face. “I’m sorry.”

“What’re you sorry for?” He retrieves a dustpan and sweeps the mess up. All the while smoking. It takes a while to sweep with one hand. Akira makes heartfelt apologies to a Ryo who’s barely awake still. 

“For breaking the mug you bought me!”

“...I can just buy another one?” Ryo dumps it in the garbage. “Why was it so important to you anyway? I found it at a thrift store.”

“Because you bought it for me.” His face turns hot. He folds his arms to keep his hands from doing anything he might regret later. “You’re the only one who’s ever done stuff like that.”

Ryo stares at him like he’s stupid and maybe he is. Maybe him getting so attached to a mug is stupid. But the thing that matters most is not letting Ryo down. 

“Wow, that’s kinda gay.” Ryo flicks his cigarette butt in the sink. 

“Hey, we wash dishes there!” Akira snatches the lighter from his hand so he can’t light another one. “Would you stop smoking and pay attention to me? And what do you mean ‘gay?’ Since when is caring about your best friend gay!?” He gestures wildly with his hands. “Can’t a guy have feelings for a friend without being called gay?” He pauses. “You know, totally platonic feelings. ‘Cause we’re just bros. Living together. Not gay.”

Ryo sits back with a rather unimpressed look on his face. He folds his arms over his chest. He knows what he’s going to say next. “Sounds pretty gay to me. Now would you mind handing me back my lighter?”

“...No.” He tucks it into the pocket of his mom jeans. At least that’s what Ryo fondly calls them. Akira just likes the support they give him. Totally not because he wants Ryo to look at his ass so he can call him out on it. Just a little joke between bros. A prank between guys. …God, he wants to kiss him right now. 

“No? Did you just say ‘no’ to me?”

“Y-Yeah..” He clears his throat. “Yeah! So what!? What’re you gonna do about it!?” Please kiss me, he wants to say. Call his bluff so he can drop this front and stop acting like he’s not interested. He just wants someone to hold him. He’s tired of being stoic and strong and most importantly, alone. 

“Are you fucking crying?”

“Wha? No!” His lower lip quivers. “Guys like me don’t cry.”

“Are you like... okay?”

Akira shields his eyes with the back of his arm. “I’m fine, okay!?”

Ryo groans. “Ugh… do you wanna, I don’t know, talk about it?”

“No……. y… yes.”

“Okay, so... what’s up?” His eyes wander awkwardly over Akira. “Can you stop crying so much? It was just a mug.”

“I like you,” he blurts out. “Like…… like…. like a friend.”

“...The fuck?”

Akira freezes but he can’t stop rambling. “You know, like how bros sometimes help their friends out like….. That?”

“Wait, you want me to suck your dick? I thought we were talking about why you’re crying over a mug?” With the most casual of shrugs, he goes to tie back his hair. 

“What’re you doing?” Akira asks.

“What does it look like?”

“...putting your hair up?”

“No, idiot. You want a blowjob right?’

“What? No? Maybe?” He puts the two whole brain cells he has right now to work. With a sigh, he undoes his belt. “I mean, I’m not really in the mood, but if you insist…”

Ryo puts a hand on his wrist and he almost wants to strip now. “Okay, actually, let’s just… talk about your feelings instead.”

Akira doesn’t bother buckling his belt. Ryo doesn’t bother mentioning it either. Maybe it’ll still happen after this painful conversation? “What’s there to talk about? It’s not like I like you…. in a gay way.”

“You remember what I said the other day? I lied.”

“You mean when we made out? Why would you do that!?” Akira cries again. “I thought that’s what all bros did?”

Ryo rests a hand on his shoulder. “Again, I lied. I wanted to see how long it’d take you to realize it but… clearly that’s not going to happen. I’m not sorry.”

They stand in silence for a whole minute. “So…”

“No, I’m not giving you a blowjob and yes, what you did is gay.”

Akira’s shoulders slump. “Really?”

He sighs as he retrieves a dustpan to sweep the broken mug into. “Yes, really. You know this thing was like four dollars, right? Also, I stole it so it’s not like I can even get you another one.”

“Why’s that?”

“Banned from the store.”

“...Oh.” Akira tucks his thumbs into his pockets. “So if we’re done talking, would it be weird if you, I don’t know…”

Ryo tosses the ceramic into the trash. He steps beside him to press a quick peck to his cheek. Even in a soft moment like this, he’s deadpan. “You mean that?”

“Yeah, maybe.” 

Akira tries to sneak a look, but Ryo catches him with a kiss on the lips. “So it’s not… wrong for me to like you?’

“No, why would it be?” He digs his lighter out of Akira’s pocket, leaning back on the counter to light yet another cigarette. “No one has to even know we’re dating. It’s no one’s business but ours.”

“Wait… we’re dating?”

Ryo blinks at him. “Do you smoke crack? Is that why your memory is so foggy? I thought it was an unspoken thing.”

Akira tears up again as he forces Ryo into a bear hug. He sobs all over his crisp white shirt. Ryo silently smokes to endure it. Okay, maybe he’s just the tiniest bit gay. Like if it’s just dating one guy, what does it mean? This has to be another one of Ryo’s elaborate pranks. It has to be.


End file.
